When grownups talk about aliens and flying saucers, they often imagine eerie creatures and skin-crawling aerial vehicles that sometimes induce nightmares. Kids, in contrast, probably have more fun ideas about these otherworldly creatures, conjuring up images filled with all the colors of the rainbow. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of modern life, we sometimes find ourselves reminiscing those figuratively and literally sweet days of our childhood, free to let our imaginations fly and come up with the most creative answers to the mysteries of the universe. Now you don’t have to wait for stress to make you long for those sugar-infused days with this coffee table that transports you to the past while keeping a close watch on the future of the planet.
Designer: Duffy London
Although they are known to be terrible for our teeth and our long-term health, there’s just no escaping the fact that sweets, especially bright-colored candy, can evoke feelings of joy and fun, calling to mind the simpler days of our childhood. Even things that would normally instill fear or dread are made less menacing when transformed into candies and marshmallows, whether they’re monsters, ghosts, or aliens. That’s why even if the shapes refer to extraterrestrial transportation, the Flying Saucer Coffee Table remains firmly rooted in the harmless, candy-filled tradition of Earthlings.
The entire ensemble is made up of three large UFO shapes in tasty candy colors holding aloft an even larger glass disc that serves as the tabletop. The combination, especially if viewed from the top, is reminiscent of those glass jars holding innumerable gobstoppers that make our mouths water at the mere sight of them. Beneath the UFOs is a steel base plate that creates a perpetual shadow for the flying candies, regardless of the light source.
Candy-like objects are often made from plastic, and the Flying Saucer Coffee Table is no different. What makes it different is that all the thermoformed plastic used in the product is sourced from recycled materials, particularly from food packaging that makes up about 75% of London’s domestic plastic waste. In that sense, the coffee table is an almost ironic reminder to mind the planet we’re on, even while looking to the heavens for inspiration.
The Flying Saucer Coffee Table is another striking addition to Duffy London’s “art-as-furniture” collection, composed of eye-catching yet functional pieces that bring life to any space in more ways than one. Rather than an otherworldly atmosphere that the UFO shapes might suggest, the table’s whimsical design encourages onlookers to live life to the fullest, sprinkle a bit of joy and child-like wonder into their life, and maybe even get a sweet treat once in a while.
